


grasping at straws

by sundrymunity



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, M/M, eventual tsukiyama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-23
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 17:17:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3217214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundrymunity/pseuds/sundrymunity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yamaguchi has a crush on the objectively good looking Tsukishima, and unfortunately his first impression is bad: Hinata pours a bunch of salt in Tsukishima's soda and the glasses guy just sits there and drinks it, much to the awe/annoyance of Hinata and flustered heart of Yamaguchi.</p>
<p>After a few mistakes fate finally gives in and lets Yamaguchi have his day - a partner project. And after so many bad meetings... How could it possibly get worse?</p>
            </blockquote>





	grasping at straws

**Author's Note:**

> for my dear friend [erichi](http://shuukyo.tumblr.com)!! i literally wrote this in like an hour, sorry for any mistakes and such. but i like it. it's cute. it's gonna get cuter.
> 
> based on a few prompts, opening with "I poured salt in your drink while you were in the bathroom and you straight up drank it" and ending in cliché partner project scheme.

"Hinata-- Hinata no, don't he's gonna get mad--"

"Only if he finds out! It's payback for making fun of my height earlier."

The 'he' in question is a young man that shares Yamaguchi's class, tall and imposing in his own way. He's polite enough to teachers, though the smart remarks he breathes sends Yamaguchi into quiet giggle fits and honestly? It's... Even objectively speaking, he's really good looking, and the freckled teen thinks he must've had the best luck in the world to be placed in the same area as him, and now seeing him at the fast food and he and his friend Hinata frequent--

Well. Luck should be on his side, but it isn't. The bouncing orange boy poisons Tsukishima's soda with so much salt the drink _rises_ half an inch and Yamaguchi tugs him back over to their table just in time for the bespectacled other to return, giving them an odd look when Hinata tries to hide his laughter behind fries and milkshakes. Yamaguchi colors and looks away, pretending to be interested in his burger.

"Yamaguchi," Hinata whispers (actually whispers! who knew he knew how?) and pokes his shoulder with one of the clean straws they'd collected in a pile for building purposes, "look, he's gonna drink it."

And Tsukishima does, a clear look of disgust overcoming his face as he realizes what's in it and glancing around, locking eyes with their table. His expression straightens out and, without breaking contact, he slurps it up. Hinata gapes beside him and Yamaguchi feels his heart flutter until the last, squeaky drop, where it gets into panic mode as Tsukishima gets up

and strides past them to the trash can, dropping the empty cup and leaving.

... So cool. Yamaguchi's about to say just that when he sees the disappointed look on Hinata's sullen face and busts out laughing instead, dodging fries and throwing some of his own.

It should be the end of that. It really should be. Prank failed, crush at 100%, Hinata busy with some online friend he'd made through a game, and Yamaguchi free of all responsibilities this weekend. But it's not. Because he almost has a second heart attack when he's listening to music at the mall and someone slips on the headphones beside him, and that someone is Tsukishima. A small voice tells him to go for it, to talk to the other teen, because maybe they have this band in common--

"How tasteless," Tsukshima mutters as the song dies down in Yamaguchi's ears, and he feels the will drain out of him. The next is some kind of hiphop from another album and... it's not bad, but it's not his taste. Though Tsukishima seems pleased, the smallest quirk of his lip as he picks up what must be the album they're listening to, and _turns to him_. "Would you... rec this for a kid? My cousin's birthday is coming up and I don't know what else to get him."

"Uh," he eloquently replies, staring at the cd case Tsukishima's holding out to him. Definitely what they're listening to right now. Yamaguchi knows he's being waited on. It's obvious. "I... guess so? I don't really listen to that kind of music," he finishes lamely, not looking at Tsukishima's no doubt disappointed face.

"... I see."

Tsukishima turns back to the stand and looks through the others, leaving Yamaguchi to wallow uselessly in his own stupid juices. Nice job. Great. Wonderful. Thankfully it's a only a few minutes of awkward before Tsukishima takes his pick and goes to ring it up. Yamaguchi stares at the hiphop and picks up the album, pressing his lips together determinedly and... standing there listening to other songs until he's sure his crush is far away before he buys it and leaves himself.

 

Hinata can't believe him, rolling over on his bed and staring at him upside down like _that'd_ help any. "... I don't blame you that much though, he's kind of scary. Like if he took off his glasses lazer beams would shoot out and kill you scary."

Yamaguchi snorts at the image and nods, playing with the case. "He seemed kind of uncomfortable, actually... He might not be as scary as we think?"

There's a pregnant pause as they both consider this, a table covered in their homework between them, and Hinata shakes his head so hard he drops off the bed, wincing and glaring at Yamaguchi's stifled laughter.

"No way! Don't talk good about him just 'cause you think he's hot stuff." He sits up, rubbing his head and scooting towards the homework with a look of such disdain Yamaguchi almost has another fit. "He's not that cool anyway. Even if he just straight up drank that salty soda I pranked him with."

Yamaguchi hums half heartedly to appease his friend and they move topics (thankfully) away from the tall blond, towards Hinata's friend who he seems to have no trouble gushing about. It's a relief. And nice to be on the teasing end this time when he asks questions about this mysterious stranger, Hinata's profuse protests adding fuel to the flare on his face.

 

The next meeting is a little more awkward, mostly because Tsukishima's been giving him the stink eye since he walked into the cafe and taken a seat farther away, though Yamaguchi has no idea why. When he stutteringly asks the pretty waitress (Hitoka, her nametag reads) about it, she taps her pen against her shiny lips and perks up, smiling sheepishly.

"Oh, um, this is actually the table he usually sits at..." Oh, so he hates him. Great. Good job. "I wouldn't worry a lot?"

It's obvious she's trying to help and Yamaguchi thanks her, resting his head against the cool table and pretending he's dead after she leaves. Better off like this. He finishes his lunch and gets up to leave, leaving a generous as he can tip for Hitoka and avoiding all eye contact with Tsukishima.

 

The final straw is a partner project for a play in their Japanese Literature class. Yamaguchi prays both that they work together and that they don't, and whoops internally when they're put in a group. Tsukishima catches his eye and his heart stops, fearful and excited all at once, and then looks back down, probably fiddling with the mp3 player he'd been bringing to school for the past two weeks. Yamaguchi feels his excitement dip and he draws swirls and clouds on the margins of his paper, listening to the teacher explain. Two people would act our a scene of one of the plays chosen from a hat, one-on-one, to the best of their abilities, and be able to explain the significance of the scene as well as any symbolism. They'd have to turn in a paper too.

Great.


End file.
